Add a New Log

Add a New Character Page

Nothing To See Here

Xanadu Weyr - Garden

An arch woven from the tendrils of a willow tree stretches overhead lightly creeping with ivy as one steps in from the meadow into this sanctuary of green. Cool gray flagstone carefully spaced enables a soft velvety moss to thrive within the cracks, and creates a single wide pathway that fluidly breaks off into two paths of stone once free of the natural arbor. It is a wonder this place, and meticulously tended from the way it seems not a single leaf is out of place.

On either side of the main path expansive grassy patches are trimmed short and edged behind with natural tan colored stone selectively chosen to stack just right. Beyond these are a line of fine puffed shrubberies in vibrant green intermingled with flowering bushes of brilliant pinks varying in hue from the very light to the very dark, which causes the occasional snowy white blossoms of other scattered here and there without worry to simply pop out of the scenery.

Directly in the center of the garden is another wall of intricately stacked stone, this of muted grays, creating what from the air would prove to be a perfect circle. It's been set high for safety, but not so much as one would not be able to lean over it to admire what lies beyond, either standing or sitting at the smattering of benches whose backs are set every four feet along it. Flush to the ground inside it's protective stone outcropping, is an enormous twenty foot wide fish pond. Within one can glean the metallic glint of playful goldfish, the unhurried cruise of fat koi, and even a frog or three among pale yellow and white flowering water lilies and their thick green pads.

The trees surrounding the entire garden were planted to give the impression that they had always been here, not only lending to a rustic look, but also alluding to the beauty that can be found among the wilds if only one might just look for it. Species vary from the ordinary Birch and Pine, but the flaming red capsules of the Indian Shot to the robust orange spokes of the Firewheel tree suggest the spice of the exotic.

Winter has finally come to Xanadu but despite the fall in temperature, there hasn't been more than a few flakes of snow as of yet. Most of the garden has been tended to in that regard, as those plants that can handle the cold but not being crushed beneath piles of snow have been secured, but the chill that hangs in the air even at the height of afternoon is enough today to keep most from wanting to linger here for too long. Unless your name happens to be Mathis, the woodcrafter candidate who's been suspiciously missing from anywhere else lately. He wasn't skipping his chores so much as finishing as quickly (albeit poorly) as possible and then, he simply vanishes. That he was no longer underfoot or prattling on excessively about this or that might even be a relief, back before curfew and gone before dawn, the barracks had become a relatively quiet place. In truth, he was spending most of his free time here while Bocote was tended to by his other two cling-ons, teaching him the ropes as it were of all things firelizard so that Mathis could chip and sand and carve to his content at trunk of a wide and ancient old tree towards the back of the garden all bundled up in so many layers that it was a wonder he could bend his arms at all. His cheeks, tip of his nose and chin, quite red.

It's those few days in the year that Sylv doesn't actually /mind/ being outside. The weather isn't terrible and most of the bugs are dead because of the drastic drop in temperatures. Still, he isn't one to just enjoy the outdoors without a purpose. Today's purpose is apparently attempting to train Sir Moldenstein to fetch things properly. "I said a flower not a massive leaf." The baker's exasperated voice herald's their arrival as he moves towards one of the very few flowers still alive. Apparently the mental image just hasn't been enough. Or perhaps Sir Moldenstein did it on purpose. From his place on Sylvarin's shoulder, the tiny blue lets out a warble as the human finger points to said plant. He easily glides down, snapping it at the stem and holding it proudly in his maw for the baker to take. It's around then that Sylv notices Mathis during a glance upwards and the man lifts an arm to wave. "You look like your nose is about to freeze off."

So engrossed was Mathis that he remains unaware of Sylvarin until he himself is taken notice of and only after there is enough voice raised in a call over to him that it inspires a glance up and over. At first, the boy looks startled almost to the point of panic, brows shot upwards as he drops the woodworking tools in his hands. Shortly after this, he's hopping down from that short ladder he was on and back down to the ground, but not before tugging at and pulling down a tarp that had been strung among the very dead branches high over head. Only when he was back on the Perna Firma does the boy lift a hand and wave back over, hurrying over to close the distance between them and putting as much of that behind him. "Oh hey," said in haste, arm slid through one of the bakers, cheerfully and insistently pulling him away in the opposite direction. "How are you? Everything good?" Pull, pull.

Sylvarin's expression immediately shifts towards suspicion at how hastily Mathis is trying to get away from whatever is happening over there. His lips pull down just the slightest as he tries to focus on whatever is now far behind Mathis, scrutinizing what little he can see. But before he gets much of a chance to discern anything Sylv is quickly being pulled away. "I'm completely fine. /You/ look like you're attempting to hide a dead body though." There's a hint of a smirk that now appears on the baker's face but he apparently won't resist for now. Sir Moldenstein drops the flower to give a warble of protest as the two walk away and soon he's taking flight to land on Sylv's shoulders. His tail curls around the baker's neck possessively, but his eyes seem to whirl with curiosity as he examines the woodcrafter.

The second that Sylvarin gives that whatever he was working on a second look, Mathis gives a slightly firmer tug to bring his attention back, all teeth and too wide grin. There was nothing to see over there really, not with the tarp he'd pulled and smooth down to cover any part that tree that might have been altered from its natural state. Fortunately, that tree looked quite dead rather than just hibernating through the colder weather, otherwise the boy might have been in considerably more trouble than trying to hide another of his woodcarving projects. "What? Me?" Mathis gasps, clutching his chest with his free hand even as he ensures that through all this that they continue to move forward and away, "What could I be hiding?" The blue firelizard is noted, not when he warbles, but rather when he appears to curl around the man's neck, giving the tiny creature a wiggle of his fingers. Annnnd they're still walking, straight over to that there bench over by the pond there because that is where Mathis intends to plant the baker. It weird when he talks and smiles like that, perhaps he's not aware. "How'd you convince him to come outside? Bocote won't have it. He keeps sending me these hazy images of ice cubes in the middle of a blizzard."

"I could think of a few dozen things." Sylvarin says off-handedly, a chuckle following not long after. He drops down into the bench, and glances over the pond. He'll wonder silently how long until that thing freezes over but at Mathis' question he's reaching up to touch the small blue flit. "I don't think he minds the cold but he's rather clingy…and is probably hoping we're going to the feeding grounds." It's that last part that gets a sudden croon from the tiny flit. There's the right answer! After all, they have the hook up for some very fresh meat! "So if you aren't up to anything why are you just here freezing your nose off?" Because the boy does look like he's been out here for a while!

The expression of disbelief is at least partially genuine as it flashes across the boy's features, the other part far too overplayed to be anything but yet another means of trying to distract Sylvarin from investigating what it was that he had been up to over there. You wound him deeply, sir. "Wha…I…ugh…" So affronted. So hurt. How could he accuse him of such things? "When have I ever…?" Mathis is obviously so taken aback he can't even finish asking his question, dropping beside the man and crosses his arms across his chest. The explanation of why Sir Moldenstein was a willing participant on the baker's outside adventures draws hazel eyes towards the little blue, both of his eyebrows inching upwards for the indication that the feeding grounds is the place that he wanted to be. "Acacia and Mahoe are treating Bocote like he was theirs, they were out this morning hunting tunnelsnakes." Because that's what he had trained them to do and they were busily passing it on to the next generation, not because Mathis had left the stubborn butthead behind and they'd been stuck with him. Reaching inside his pocket, he withdraws a baggie of fresh scraps and shakes it before the lordling, "I like trees." Its said in passing, without thought, and with a conspicuous eyedart towards Sylvarin and back to the blue for more bag shaking.

"As if you've never hidden anything in all your thirteen turns of life." Sylvarin smirks slightly but gives a little shrug, content to drop the subject for now. "Training this one's a slow process, but we're working on it." There's a touch of a smile on Sylvarin's face as he glances down to Sir Moldenstein who's interest is certainly piqued by the bag of fresh scraps. He raises his head to sniff at the thing and there's just a slightly dismayed croon. Not his /favorite/ bits…but food nonetheless. So /despite/ all that he's totally trying to nip at the bag. "You like trees…." The baker repeats this before letting out a sigh and shaking his head. Teenagers man!

Glancing towards Sylvarin, eyes rolled upwards towards the partly cloudy sky, scoffing. "Fine, I admit it, I've got a few secrets. You got me." It wasn't a serious thing, despite all the melodrama, turning a sly grin the man's way as if maybe he had a lot more than a few skeletons in his closet. But then it's gone with the blue's dismayed croon and he devoutly lavishing attention and meat scraps upon Sir Moldenstein, tutting softly at the attempt to snap at the bag. "Uh uh, patience. There's plenty here and I am very sorry I don't keep freshly killed carcasses in my pocket. I know, I'm a horrible person, I'll try to be a better person in the future." Popping the storage bag open, he sets a pinch of the contents onto the palm of his hand and offers it over. For the baker, "What's wrong with liking trees? You against them or something? A tree wrong you in the past?"

"I figure you've murdered at least three people before." Sylvarin smirks, shooting a wink in the teenager's direction. Sir Moldenstein lets out an obstinate squawk at having been told to be /patient/ and /wait/. Honestly! But the blue does in the end, following up with something that sounds almost admonishing. Honestly, how /dare/ Mathis not just have blood and guts on hand at all times. But Sir Moldenstein /is/ a flit so there's no true admonishing. Instead he's quite happily gobbling up the scraps that Mathis pours out onto his hand. "Nah, but they're filled with bugs and /things/." There's a little shudder from Sylvarin. Though he's actually gotten better about that sort of thing of late!

Sighing sadly, "About to be four, I mean…I can't really know who else you've talked to, right?" Shaking his head, he puts another pinch of meat scraps into the palm of his hand, "It's too bad really, I was starting to like you." Cue too much teeth and a set of sparkling hazel eyes to go along with it. Hee! About the only thing that kid could murder was maybe a cup of hot cocoa and a good book thick with fairy tales. "Oh nonono! Slow down, you'll choke!" Mathis then fusses over the firelizard, retracting his hand a bit till what was in Sir Moldenstein's maw was gone before offering it up again. "Oh don't look at me like that, you're still getting as much as any one firelizard could want." Looking back towards Sylvarin, he tilts his head to the side and blinks a few times, "You really don't like the outdoors do you?" He didn't need for it to be spelled out for him or anything, not liking the 'bugs and things' was a clear enough picture.

"This is how I end…at the hands of a teenager!" Sylvarin lets out a deep sign and tries to look quiet forlorn but manages to fail at that spectacularly. There's no hiding the spark of amusement that remains in the baker's eyes. Sir Moldenstein does /not/ want to wait, what is wrong with all these humans? But…the blue has no choice so in between bites he lets out a minuscule grumble. "Not in the least…but unfortunately that's an unavoidable part of life. Unless you're in space." Those few days had been quite nice in fact! There's a quite sudden twinge of pain in the baker's face then and he uses the opposite hand to touch his left shoulder. "I should go put some more salve on this thing." It's mostly healed and he's out of his sling, but there's still the occasional pain. "And let you get back to your murdering!" A wink is shot in Mathis' direction with this before the baker is getting his feet. "See you in the barracks…perhaps?" Because clearly the woodcrafter has much body burying to do!